December 22, 1939 Jerry Pickney, award winning illustrator of children’s books, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pickney began drawing at the age of four and earned a scholarship to the Philadelphia Museum College of Art. After graduation, he held a number of positions in the field of design and illustration. Eventually he opened the Jerry […]
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December 21st in African American History – George Faison
December 21, 1945 George Faison, dancer and choreographer, was born in Washington, D.C. Faison entered Howard University in 1964 to study dentistry, but dropped out in 1966 to pursue a career in dance. He moved to New York City and joined the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1967 and remained there through 1969. In […]
December 20th in African American History – George Edward Chalmer Hayes
December 20, 1968 George Edward Chalmer Hayes, lawyer, died. Hayes was born July 1, 1894 in Richmond, Virginia. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Brown University in 1915 and earned his law degree from Howard University School of Law in 1918. While at Howard, he attained one of the highest academic averages on record there. […]
December 19th in African American History – Reginald Howard White
December 19, 1961 Reginald Howard White, hall of fame football player, was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. From 1980 to 1983, White played for the University of Tennessee where he was an All-American. After college, he signed with the Memphis Showboats of the United States Football League and after that league folded in 1985 he signed […]
December 18th in African American History – Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr.
December 18, 1912 Benjamin Oliver Davis, Jr., commander of the World War II Tuskegee Airman, was born in Washington, D.C. After attending the University of Chicago, Davis entered the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1932. Despite shunning by his classmates, never having a roommate, and being forced to eat alone, he earned […]
December 17th in African American History – Cora Mae Brown
December 17, 1972 Cora Mae Brown, the first African American woman elected to the Michigan State Senate, died. Brown was born April 16, 1914 in Bessemer, Alabama, but raised in Detroit, Michigan. She graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1931 and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Fisk University in 1935. […]
December 16th in African American History – Charles LeRoy Blockson
December 16, 1933 Charles LeRoy Blockson, black studies scholar and author, was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. As a young boy, Blockson was told by a white teacher that black people had made no contribution to history. Blockson earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Pennsylvania State University in 1956. After serving in the United States […]